Coping with distraction is a part of sports every athlete must learn. Top athletes have the ability to focus under pressure and cope with external distractions by using routines that help them stay tuned into the right performance cues. For example basketball players dealing with hecklers when shooting a free throw, use free-throw routines to shield their mind when the pressure is on to make the shot.
Focusing on routines help occupy your mind and deflect distractions, such as crowd noise. Your mission is to focus on your performance cues within the routine, which also serve to keep you focused on the process and not worry about missing the shot. If there’s a potential for external distraction in your sport, prepare yourself mentally for what’s to come. Practice in conditions (or distractions) that match what you will face in competition, and prepare yourself for distractions present in competition that you would not usually experience in practice.
Check out The Focused Athlete program for more strategies to focus your best in competition.